


Slack Tide

by dracox_serdriel



Series: Her Dark Works [14]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe, Angry Sex, Betrayal, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Land Without Magic, Land without Time, Leadership, Magic Mirrors, Recovery, Smut, The Jolly Roger, Very Angry Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-14 09:18:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5738104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracox_serdriel/pseuds/dracox_serdriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>New leads on their missing family members are set aside when two of their number  are taken captive. Killian and Emma launch a rescue mission while they search for information about the woman who took them, Cruella de Vil. Through Anita and Roger, they meet a new ally. But can she be trusted?</p><p><strong>Her Dark Works</strong> takes place in an alternate universe where Emma Swan was born and raised in the Enchanted Forest. One day, things go horribly wrong, and she abandons her birthright and throne to seek revenge on the Dark One. What happens when a woman born to be the Savior of the Realm joins forces with the Vengeful Pirate of Neverland?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cats Paws

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this episode is in reference to a tidal phenomenon. In any body of water with a tidal current, there is a short period of time before the tide changes direction when the water is still and not stressed in the ebb and flow. This was once called the stand of the tide but is now called _slack water_ or _slack tide_.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has abducted Red and Senior.

_They've been abducted._

The words hit Killian like a bucket of ice.

The Magic Mirror showed him the events as they unfolded. As Senior and Red approached 101 Fashions, a distinctive automobile approached. Two men with cloaked faces used a device to subdue them and then dragged their unconscious bodies into the transport. Anita appeared at the front door, a look of absolute terror on her face.

He dressed, and soon, Emma joined him. He didn't waste time mincing words, and she didn't bother with questions. They packed haphazardly. Emma put a small knife up her sleeve, and he likewise armed himself by pocketing his hook and a steak knife.

It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

They weren't far from 101 Fashions, so they went on foot, walking briskly so as not to attract attention.

It was nearly one in the afternoon when they arrived, yet the lights were off at 101 Fashions and a sign hung in the window.

> Closed due to Unforeseen Circumstances
> 
> Please call again tomorrow

A muffled shout came from nearby, masked almost entirely by passing automobiles. He looked up at the apartment above the store, but the windows were dark there, too.

"This way," Emma said, waving him to the alleyway that ran between 101 Fashions and the neighboring store.

She ran, and he followed. There was a struggle going on behind the store. Emma rounded the corner without hesitation, but he waited, peering out, waiting for the right moment to strike.

There were two men dressed in dark clothing, their faces obscured with masks, attacking a woman in her forties. She was wearing jeans and a brown jacket made of tanned hide, and she wielded two short staffs.

Emma stepped in and took on one man, who attempted to hit her with a projectile weapon of some kind. She kicked the weapon out of his hands and landed another kick to his stomach, sending the man crashing into the wall. Meanwhile, the other woman brought down the second assailant. 

Killian drew the steak knife as the two attackers stumbled together, feigning injury. Just when they made a coordinated attack on Emma, he stepped from his hiding place, slashing down.

There was a scream as one assailant pulled back, clutching his bleeding arm, crashing into his partner in crime.

Killian shifted so he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Emma and the other woman. The uninjured man drew something and pointed it at Emma, his eyes full of malice.

"Yah best stay back," the man said with a false voice. "Or I'll shoot this one."

Killian didn't recognize what the man was holding, but the other woman backed up, clearly frightened, which told him that the weapon - whatever it might be - was dangerous.

"This ain't over," the man said.

Then the pair of them backed out of the alley before turning onto the street. He was ready to run after them, but Emma rushed inside.

The woman moved to follow, but he blocked the door. 

"Care to explain why masked men were attacking you?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "Do you know Anita and Roger?"

"Aye, we're patrons of this store," he replied. "And who are you?"

"Dot. Dot Darling," she replied. Then she asked tentatively, "Anita and Roger... they called you for help?"

"No, we came because two of our friends were abducted not far from here," Killian replied. "By men dressed like the two attacking you."

"When was this?"

"Less than an hour ago," he replied.

"Less than an hour?" she repeated. "How could you know... who are you?"

Killian couldn't bloody well say that a Magic Mirror had shown them the abduction mere minutes after the attack had occurred. He didn't know or trust this woman, but if the same people were attacking her, then they were likely facing the same foe.

"My name is Killian Jones," he replied. "The woman who came to your rescue is Emma Swan. Do you have any idea who attacked you and why?"

"That is a matter we should discuss inside," Dot replied.

"I'm afraid I must insist," Killian said, halting her from entering.

Dot clenched her jaw before she answered. "Very well. Those were henchmen, meaning, they don't care about the why. As for the person who sent them, well, her name is Cruella de Vil."

* * *

Emma didn't know why she felt the need to check on Anita and Roger, but something inside her insisted on it. The backroom and storefront were deserted.

"Anita! Roger!" she called out. "It's all clear! They're gone. Whoever they are, they're gone!"

She received no response, so she pulled out her Magic Mirror. She asked, "Sidney, can you show me that again?" 

He nodded and played the abduction over again. He froze the image on the face of the driver, a woman in her thirties or possibly older, with crow-black hair that had a shocking comb of white to one side. She wore luxurious animal furs. 

"If you like, I can attempt to find her," Sidney suggested.

"Yes," Emma said. "Can you find Red and Senior by searching for, well, the other mirrors?"

Sidney raised an eyebrow and said, "Perhaps. Give me some time."

She stowed the mirror, and she shouted again, "Anita?! Roger?!"

"Don't bother," the woman from the alleyway said. "They'll only come out if I tell them it's safe."

Then the woman disappeared into the storefront.

"That's Dot," Killian said as he joined her. "According to her, the woman we're looking for is named Cruella de Vil."

"She's right," Anita said.

Roger, Dot, and Anita came from the front of the store. Both storeowners were clearly shaken up.

"I saw her," Anita said. "She was right outside our store. I'm so sorry your friends got mixed up in all this."

"Sorry is one thing, lass," Killian said. "But an explanation would be better. Who the bloody hell is this witch, and why has she abducted our traveling companions?"

"She's interested in a certain kind of people," Roger replied. "People like Anita and I."

"And people like the two of you," Dot said.

"Devilishly handsome rapscallions?" Killian suggested. 

"People that come from other worlds," Dot replied.

"Come again?" Killian said, not missing a beat.

But Emma's stomach had dropped. What if this woman attacked her parents or abducted her son? What could she possibly want with any of them?

"There's no use hiding it, I'm afraid," Roger said. "We noticed straight off that you were more than just foreigners."

"Did you indeed?" Killian asked, his temper rising.

"Look," Dot said.

She produced an old pair of calipers in her hand. She held it close to herself, and nothing happened. She held it near Anita, and it glowed a faint blue-white. She walked over and held it by Emma, and it glowed a reddish-yellow. She waved it over Killian, and it glowed with an array of colors, though it was red-yellow at its core.

"This only glows when near someone who is from, or lived in, another realm," Dot said. "Anita and Roger are from a Land without Time."

"A Land without Time?" Killian asked. "How is that even possible?"

"Killian," Emma said, putting her hand on his arm. "We're from the same realm, so why did it glow different colors for him and I?"

"He's lived in more than one realm," Dot replied.

"Well, that's lovely," Killian replied with no attempt to hide his mistrust. "But one shining object doesn't make you our friend."

"You don't understand," Anita said. "Dot saved our lives."

"Cruella is from our land," Roger said. "She's a vicious woman who kills animals for pelts. We crossed her when we refused to give up our Dalmatian pups for skinning. It sounds so trivial, but... well, when she has a grudge, she never lets it go. She went after us, tried to ruin us."

"Succeeded, actually," Anita said. "She had the power and influence to do whatever she wanted. And she had these dogs... she had trained them so they'd attack. Kill. And they obeyed her no matter what. It was like... like..."

"Magic," Roger suggested.

"Yes, magic," Anita said. "We escaped into this land, and Dot helped us hide from her."

"So we're to believe that you successfully escaped this villain, only to be rediscovered by her years later upon our arrival," Killian said.

"You don't get it," Dot said. "Cruella didn't find you because of them. She found them because of you. Years of work, gone, because of four strangers."

"It's not their fault," Roger said.

"Regardless of fault, two of our people were taken," Emma said. "Can you help us locate them?"

"If your friend there gives me that knife," Dot replied. "You didn't wash the blood off yet, did you?"

"No," Killian said. "What does it matter? How can blood on a knife lead us to our missing number?"

"If we had a few weeks, the police could use the blood to identify the masked attacker, and from there, all his known associates," she replied. "But here I'm guessing you don't have that kind of time."

"They why request it at all?" Killian asked.

"I can find your friends," she replied. "But in exchange, I want that knife for my own purposes. Unless, of course, you've some way of finding them on your own?"

"Killian, let her have it," Emma whispered in his ear.

"I don't like this, Swan."

"Trust me," she said.

His blue eyes were full of suspicion, but when they met hers, he relaxed.

"It appears we have an accord," he said as he handed Dot the knife.

"It'll take a few hours. I'll meet you back here at nightfall," Dot said to Killian and Emma. She turned to Roger and Anita and add, "You two, keep your heads down and pack. You should leave tonight."

When Dot made her exit, Emma followed.

Emma said, "I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Anita and Roger came here from another realm, and you helped them," Emma replied. "I need to know why. Why did you believe them? And have you helped others?"

"I believed them because once, a very long time ago, I was taken to another land," she replied. "It wasn't by choice, and it certainly wasn't pleasant. But it was real. So I believed them when they told me they came from a Land without Time. I'd heard of it before. As to why I've helped them, well, I had the displeasure of meeting Cruella a few times. Anita and Roger, they're just people, all they wanted was a life. So I helped them, and, yeah, I've helped others, too. Now if you don't mind, I've got to get started if you want me to find your friends."

Emma nodded and watched Dot leave before returning inside. 

She considered everything Dot had said. The woman had gone out of her way to be honest about why she wanted the knife. It would've been easier to lie, yet she made sure they understood that it was a trade. That made what she did lie about even more perplexing. She had been untruthful when she said it'd take a few hours to find their friends, but whether that meant she required more or less time, Emma couldn't tell. She also wasn't truthful to Roger and Anita about packing and leaving, and though she didn't know the extent of the deception, she knew it must be related to the reason she helped them in the first place because she'd lied about that, too.

* * *

Killian didn't like the idea of bringing two strangers aboard his ship, but given the circumstances, he didn't have much choice. He supposed he could always throw them in the brig. They blindfolded Anita and Roger for the journey portion of their trip, and when they saw the deck of his ship for the first time, they were in complete awe.

"Anita, Roger, you remember Robin," Killian said.

"Greetings," Robin said. "What news of Red and Senior?"

"We've a plan," Emma assured him. "Have you found Roland?"

"I think so, though he's far inland," Robin replied. "Travel will be difficult."

"You could just rent a car," Roger suggested.

"Errr, well, where we come from... we ride horses," Robin said. "I've no idea how to use an automobile."

"Right, different realm," Anita said.

The married couple began assisting Robin with travel arrangements to a place called Greeley County, Kansas.

Killian pulled Emma aside and asked, "Are you certain about them?"

"No," she replied. "But they are terrified of Cruella, and they haven't lied to us. Robin can keep an eye on them for now. We can lock them in one of the cabins overnight."

"And we go off to meet with the nefarious Dot?" he asked. "To what end? Sidney has already found Red and Senior."

"People lie for all kinds of reasons, Killian," she replied. "She told me she's helped others like us before."

"Ah," he replied. "So we're to simply leave the wolf woman and the old man in the hands of Cruella?"

"Sidney's watching over them. She's interrogating them, but not torturing them. Yet," Emma said. "If Dot leads us to the right place, maybe she is on our side. She was attacked by those two men."

"Very well," Killian said. "I don't know if I've told you this yet, Swan, but you would've made a fine pirate."


	2. Monkey's Fist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killian follows Emma on a rescue mission with one Dot Darling, but can she be trusted?

Emma knew that she was taking a risk, and she didn't like how everyone kept pointing it out to her, as if she wasn't aware. Did their mistrust of her stem from her extended recuperation, or did they simply lack faith in her from the beginning? 

Yes, they could rescue Senior and Red immediately, but in so doing, they'd risk losing their strategic advantages and revealing their capabilities. Sidney kept them apprised of Cruella's interrogation, and there was no harm in waiting a few hours.

Emma had promised Anita and Roger that she'd discover the nature of Dot's deception. They took an enormous leap of faith in trusting her and Killian, and she had no intention of letting them down.

So they waited inside 101 Fashions in stiff silence, and while she wasn't certain why he had stopped speaking, she had a strong suspicion. Was this going to be their future together? Would he sulk and give her the silent treatment every time she took charge?

Dot slipped in the back door at dusk.

"Where are Anita and Roger?" Dot asked.

"They're safely off," Killian replied.

"They were supposed to wait until tonight!" Dot protested. "Never mind that now. You friends take priority."

"You found them?" Emma asked.

"In a decommissioned factory that's owned by a shell company owned by another shell company, and so on and so forth, eventually tracing back to Cruella," Dot replied. "I scouted the area. Her car was there."

"I'm not sure what half the things you said mean," Killian began. "But it sounds to me like you've found our villain rather than our traveling companions."

"I _know_ this woman," Dot said. "Captives are the only reason she'd be staying in a place like that."

"How do you propose we do this?" Emma asked. "We're unfamiliar with the weapons of this world, but I'm trained with the bow and sword."

"I doubt either will be necessary," Dot said. "Where I come from, we fight smarter, not harder. We don't need to battle her or her minions to get your friends. I'll need your help, but more importantly, I need you two to do everything I tell you, no matter how strange it sounds. You probably don't want to hear this, but you're new to this world. You don't know the law, and even in those clothes, you stick out like sore thumbs. So if you want to do this, you need to follow my lead. All right?"

Killian raised his eyebrows skeptically before turning to Emma. Her heart skipped a beat. It was just a small gesture, but it was crystal clear that he still had faith in her. He trusted her to speak for them both.

She turned to Dot and said, "What do you need us to do?"

* * *

From the way Dot went on about it, Killian assumed there would be an elaborate plan of action. In actuality, their rescue mission was little more than driving a specially painted transport to said factory, with a series of staged sirens coordinated with flashing lights. 

He thought the entire idea was bonkers. They knew where Senior and Red were, so why pretend to require Dot's aid? He nearly overruled Emma on behalf of Robin, but then he saw the look in her eye. She had her reasons, whatever they were, and she needed him to trust her. She needed him to see she could be trusted not as the Savior, not as the Dark One, but as Emma Swan.

So he went along with Emma's plan, which apparently included doing whatever Dot said without question.

His doubts were dispelled when Cruella's uniquely-shaped transport fled the scene minutes before their arrival. 

"Bloody hell," he muttered as the roaring of the automobile grew quieter with distance.

"I told you," Dot said. "She can't risk getting caught. Those red-and-blue lights we rigged up? They're for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. I made it seem like a whole squad was on its way."

From there, finding Red and Senior took a matter of minutes. They were bound to chairs and poorly gaged, left out in the large, open workspace. 

Emma went to free Red while Killian worked on Senior, and he mused over the situation. Why were they left alive? Dot's comment made it clear that she was certain Cruella would flee without taking or killing her captives. Did she know the villain that well, or did she simply not care about the lives of two people?

"Thank you, Captain," Senior said after he removed his own gag. 

"May I introduce Dot Darling," Killian said, flourishing his hand. "Dot, meet Red and Senior."

"Are you two all right?" Emma asked.

"No real harm done," Senior replied.

"I'm going to do a quick sweep," Dot said. "See if anything illuminating was left behind."

"I'll go with you," Emma said.

Dot nodded, and they walked off at a brisk pace.

"So, who is she again?" Red asked.

"Dot Darling," Killian repeated.

"Friend or foe?" Senior asked.

"Undetermined," Killian replied.

"I feel like I've met her before," Red said. "But I don't recognize her."

"While Emma has her distracted," Killian said. "Dot is unaware of Robin and my ship, I'd rather keep it that way, if you please."

Red nodded. "Sidney couldn't tell us much because there was almost always someone in the room with us, but he whispered when he could. We knew you were waiting for a reason."

"Aye, now, what can you tell me about the woman who kept you here?" Killian asked.

"She was intense," Senior said. "Much like my late wife, I'm afraid."

"She had these dogs... They obeyed her commands even when they didn't want to," Red said. Then she added, "I have heightened senses, even here. I could smell it on them."

"Ah, so, control over animals," Killian summarized. "Wonderful. Did you glean anything else about your captor?"

"She wanted to know why we were here," Senior replied. "Also, who we are, where we came from. But mostly, why we were here."

"She's looking for someone," Red said. "She didn't say that, but the things she was asking... and, whoever it is, she thinks they're trapped in another realm."

"Did she ask about travel?" Killian asked.

They both shook their heads.

"She became infinitely more interested when I said 'Land without Magic,'" Senior said. "She asked about the magic in our realm."

"Her heart rate went out of control," Red added.

Killian was startled - though he didn't show it - when a loud voice poured into the room trice over.

"Miss Swan requires immediate assistance!"

 _Bloody Magic Mirror_ , Killian thought before they took off.

* * *

**A few minutes ago...** Emma followed Dot's lead, and to her surprise, the woman did a quick and thorough sweep of the floor, revealing nothing more than a few boot prints in the dust.

"Seems like there were a lot more than three people here," Emma said, channeling her mother's lessons from her youth.

"'Seems' being the operative word," Dot said with authority. "Maybe four people, max, but they were careful, walking over the same parts of the floor, covering each other's steps. Classic way to bamboozle your enemies into thinking there's twenty of you instead of three."

She lied boldly and confidently, and Emma didn't like it. There was no doubt in her mind that these prints were left by no fewer than four people, none of whom were Red or Senior, but she acted impressed to bolster Dot's ego and to continue building trust.

"What's your history with Cruella?" Emma asked. "What do you know about her?"

"To make a long story short, we're sort of competitors," Dot replied. "It all started with my my jaunt in another realm, I tried to pretend it didn't happen, that I'd had some crazy-long, vivid dream. It worked for a few years, until I went to college. This guy, John Darling, every time I saw him, I just _knew_ he lived through something similar, though his story was even more incredible than my own. We met and eventually got married. We make our money as private investigators but only to finance our real mission."

The story was true, save for the part about being married and financing their own way. Lying about money was one thing, but falsifying a marriage? What was the point of that?

"Your real mission?" Emma asked. 

"We find people, and so does Cruella. Hence, competition. But that's where our similarities end," Dot replied. "Most are like me and John. Got sucked into another place for a time. A few are like you, actually from one of those other worlds. See, John and I, we try to help. Get them home if we can, or if they're good people who can't go back, like Anita and Roger, we get them settled. Start a new life."

"How many?" Emma asked.

"Sorry?"

"How many people like me?" she asked. "From other realms, I mean."

"In the past ten years, there've been dozens in this country alone," Dot replied. "But your land specifically? Let's just say the Enchanted Forest doesn't often leave residents here. Or I guess I should say it didn't, not until about three years ago."

Emma kept a level head and asked, "People came here from my land three years ago?"

"A bunch of them, right here in Portland," Dot replied. "And more recently another bunch appeared in the Midwest. John and I spent the last few months looking for the. He's still searching. That's why I came out here alone. As for the other group that came through a few years ago, we found them, but they didn't want our help. They headed north. Dunno what happened to them after that."

Emma steeled her resolve and gripped the Monkey's Paw in her pocket. In one fluid motion, she pulled it out and whipped it through the air.

CRACK! Dot collapsed to the floor, one hand breaking her fall, the other cradling her head.

Emma descended on her, tying her hands behind her back as Red, Senior, and Killian raced over to them.

"Get a chair," Emma said. 

Senior and Killian doubled back, and Red helped disarm Dot and lift her to her feet. Together, the three struggled for a few minutes before the boys returned with a chair. Once tied down, Killian and Red inspected Dot's head, which had already started to produce a large lump.

"I'm guessing Sidney warned you guys?" Emma asked quietly.

"Indeed," Killian replied.

"What was it?" Dot asked, her face and body changing as she relaxed into her true self. "I slipped up, right? What was it?"

"Nobody told your our home was called the Enchanted Forest," Emma replied. "And I can tell when people are lying."

"The woman I bumped into! It was her!" Red interjected, pointing at Dot.

"What?" Emma asked.

"Our first day in Portland," Red said, carefully selecting her words. "I bumped into someone by accident, and she struck up a conversation. She asked if we were 'Amish.' I told her I didn't know what that meant, and she told us to go to 101 Fashions. That's why she seems so familiar to me."

"That wasn't me," Dot lied.

"Emma isn't joking about being able to detect lies," Red said. "I have heightened senses. You disguised your face, but not your scent. That, and your heart rate just spiked."

"Tell us, lass, what do you really want with us?" Killian asked.

Dot dropped pretense entirely and said, "I want everyone like you to get the hell out of this realm and never come back. Barring that, I want eyes on each and every one of you, so if you try anything, we'll know."

"Try anything?" Emma asked. "Like what?"

Dot bit her lip.

"We came here because people we cared about were sent here against their will," Emma said. "Family members. Children. All we want is to find them. I don't know what you're so afraid of, but it's not us that should concern you."

"How do I know?" she asked. "How do I know you're not in league with the Wicked Witch of the West?"

"Zelena?" Killian asked. "That witch has tried to kill us on more than one occasion. Happily, Emma and I arranged for her to be locked up in Camelot."

"How do you know Zelena?" Senior asked, undoubtedly picking up on Dot's flicker of recognition, just as Emma had.

"Why should I tell you anything?" Dot spat back.

"Because beyond Emma's subduing of you, which was quite gentle if I do say so meself, we've rendered no harm," Killian replied. "And why would the Wicked Witch send minions here?"

"She has magic," Dot replied. "Powerful magic. No one born here does. No one can resist her. She threatened to come to this realm and take over, turning us all into her slaves."

"Well, then, worry not, lass," Killian said. "This is a Land without Magic. Those who wield it - whether they're born to do so or acquire that power through other means - cannot do so here."

"You're lying," Dot said.

"I was born with powerful magic," Emma replied. "I was called the Savior of the Realm. I can't even float a damn pencil here."

"The long and short of it is that, in this realm, Zelena would be powerless," Senior said.

"You don't know that."

"My daughter, Regina, she was sent here," Senior explained. "In our home, she was called the Evil Queen, and she had terrible power, dark magic that she inherited from her mother. She arrived years ago. Have you heard even a whisper of her?"

Senior was trying to convince Dot, yes, but he was also honestly asking her about his daughter. Something about him won her over.

"No, I... I haven't," she replied. "Years?"

"Aye, lass, years," Killian said.

"You said you saw people heading north," Emma said, getting close to Dot. "What can you tell me about them?"

Dot took a few moments to think before she replied, "Two of them were skilled hunters. They're wanted for poaching all over northern Maine, and another charge was added about six months ago near Lewiston Auburn. No one's got any idea where they are."

"And those in the Midwest?" Emma asked.

"Three children and a woman," Dot replied. "They've been... elusive."

"Why are you even looking for them?" Red demanded.

"Better John or I find you than Cruella," Dot replied.

"You're working with her," Emma said as soon as the thought occurred to her. "Cruella. She's your financial backer."

Dot didn't reply, but the look on her face was confirmation enough. Then she said, "She won't stop until she gets what she wants. If you really can tell when I'm lying, then listen to me now: better I find you than her."

Mostly truth. Emma asked, "What's your name? Your real name."

"Dorothy," she replied. "My name is Dorothy Gale."

"And John Darling?" Emma asked.

"We work together," Dot replied. "We pose as a married couple. Gets us places we normally couldn't go."

"Why send us to 101 Fashions?" Red asked.

"Anita and Roger... when I set up their security, I added my own surveillance," Dot replied. "We know that there is a fifth member to your party, for example." 

"What about the two men to attacked you?" Killian asked.

"I did that to draw them in," Dot said.

"Yeah, but why?" Red asked. "You were already spying on us telling Anita and Roger everything." 

"Not everything," Killian said. "She and her cohorts haven't found where we've been staying, have you, lass? So she makes it appear as if we're beset with the same enemy, forcing us to trust her and share our secrets."

"It doesn't matter," Dot said, all but confirming Killian's suspicions. "Cruella knows you're from the Enchanted Forest, and she's obsessed with that place. She won't stop until she gets what she wants."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter comes from a knot tied to weigh one end of a heaving line. One end of a rope is tied into a tight ball, sometimes weighted with a stone or piece of metal.


	3. White Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone must regroup aboard the Jolly Roger to deal with the fallout of Dot's betrayal.

After restraining Dot and moving her to a different building for safekeeping, they left Portland and made for the ship, taking all the necessary precautions to ensure they were not being followed, despite the protests from Red and Senior alike.

Killian understood their concerns. Dot told them that their loved ones were targets of Cruella, so the desire to rush hither and tither until they were all accounted for seemed justified. But that would come to nothing without a safe haven, which meant his ship needed to be protected at all cost, even at the risk of angering a worried werewolf mother.

As expected, as soon as they returned to the ship, Robin took Red aside to discuss travel plans. Emma updated Anita and Roger on the situation, and both asked to remain aboard for a little while longer.

"We have a place in Canada," Roger explained.

"That's the country north of the USA," Anita added. "Dot doesn't know about it, but if she has bugged our store and spied on us to get to our customers, we have to assume she's done the same to our cars and our home."

"How can you be certain that she doesn't know about this other refuge of yours?" Killian asked.

"I suppose we don't," Roger said. "But we were careful. Put it under an alias, used untraceable money. I hope it's enough."

Emma began talking to them about possible places her parents could be hiding, and Killian bowed of the conversation and went to his cabin for a reprieve.

He had worked so hard to worm his way into Emma's life. She fought him at every turn, pushing him away, throwing him back, and then they'd had that one glorious conversation that finally made him understand. She'd never really had a partnership before, not one of equals. She wasn't locking him out, she was just used to getting her way. And from then on, she included him more and more, telling him her thoughts rather than her conclusions, asking his opinion at the very least.

But today, Emma reverted to old habits. She didn't just refuse to answer his questions, she seemed offended that he'd even ask them at all. The night previous, she had been anxious and nervous during the meal, and then there were the few awkward moments in bed. That was certainly a new experience for them. Was it all some kind of sign that their connection was faltering?

Anger rose inside him, so he took a steadying breath. It had been one day and a trying one at that. 

He went to his wardrobe for an old nightshirt and loose trousers. Then he made a quick trip to the galley to pick up dinner for Emma and himself. When he returned to the cabin, she was waiting for him in nothing more than her shift.

"Captain," she said.

"Swan," he replied as he placed the food on the table.

They ate quickly and quietly, though his silence was largely due to her dress, which didn't hide her pebbling nipples.

"You've been quiet all day," she said.

He forced himself to focus on speaking to her rather than what he really wanted to do, which was throw everything off the table and bend Emma over it.

"You didn't seem interested in what I had to say, love," he replied, ignoring the twitch in his nether regions.

"What?" she asked, confused by his tone.

"I thought I stated my concerns with clarity," he replied. "You didn't seem interested in listening to me."

"That's... all you did was question my judgment."

"No, I asked if you thought the risk worth it - "

"Like I hadn't thought of it before!" she interrupted.

"You hadn't mentioned it," he said, struggling to keep calm.

"When did you stop trusting me?" she snapped.

"I could ask you the same bloody thing!" he shouted, his temper finally rearing its ugly head.

"What are you talking about?" she shot back. "I've done nothing but trust you! Then when it was time to follow my lead, you were suddenly questioning every little thing!"

He stood up from the table, annoyed at her stubborn disposition and her ridiculous assumptions. Haven't they already had this conversation?

"Your lead?" he said, walking to her side. "That's what this is about, then? Me falling in line under the rule of Princess Emma? Or is it the Savior of the Realm? Maybe neither. Perhaps I should be on my knees in front of the bloody Dark One!"

Smack!

It was so fast he didn't see it coming. His head turned with the strike, and he hesitated for a moment as she pushed her chair back and stood to glower at him.

They were both angry, that much was clear, but he was also incredibly - and quite inappropriately - turned on. In an attempt to ignore the blood racing to his cock, he swallowed hard and licked his lips. As appealing as taking Emma against every hard surface in his cabin was, it simply wasn't the time.

Then Killian turned to look at her. She was furious and flushed, her face full of pure molten rage. 

When their eyes met, Emma said, "You talk like being on your knees for the Dark One is something you haven't done before."

His next breath was little more than a hiss, his resolve threatening to crack under her uncompromising stare.

She pushed him back toward the door of the cabin and then followed after. She shoved him again, hard, and this time he crashed into the latter, nearly tripping over the bottom rung.

"You act like I haven't seen you on all fours begging and pleading with me to touch you!" she said, the venom in her voice palpable. "Like I don't know what you look like gagged and bound before me, your cock hard and red and weeping! Like I haven't had you in complete supplication at my feet!"

She grabbed his chin and pulled his head down to they were level. Her fingers pressed harshly into his jawline with her nails pricking his skin. But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of wincing or even blinking. He stared her down without flinching.

He couldn't fight his desire and keep his head, not with Emma lashing out like this. So he let the desire wash over him, let the blood rush in every direction, let her words stoke the flames inside him until he was burning for her.

"Something wrong?" she snarled. "When last I checked, I'm not a princess or a savior or the 'bloody' Dark One here! Did you think we'd arrive and I'd just forget who I was? That I'd just roll over for you, pirate?"

His hands came up, one covering the hand that gripped his chin and the other cupping her chin lightly. Her other hand went to his wrist instinctively before he clamped down and yanked her in. Their faces were a hair's breath apart.

"You say that like rolling over for this pirate is something you haven't done before," he said. His voice wasn't as loud as hers, but his words had no less venom. "Like I haven't bent you over every part of this cabin! Like I've never seen you bruise your knees as you choked on my cock! Like you've never whimpered my name, begging me to fuck you harder!"

His hands were clammy, and sweat was starting to drip down his forehead. He set his jaw, trying to ignore the fact that his trousers were far too tight, because if she knew, she'd use it as an excuse to leave and pretend the argument never happened. Besides, no matter how hard he was, he was still a man. He could control himself.

Then he noticed her tongue gently wetting her bottom lip as her eyes flicked over the features of his face. Her eyes were completely black with desire without a trace of fury or anger, though her expression remained livid. Had she let the anger subside into something else? Or was he just seeing what he wanted to see?

* * *

The man was infuriating, and he knew it.

At first, Emma wanted to tear him apart, to rip out his heart and stomp on it, figuratively speaking. At some point, though, her wants became of a very different nature, but she couldn't just toss away her fury. It was too hot, too ready to bubble over.

Then all of a sudden, they were so close together, his face in hers, their hands over one another's, both red and ragged. She really shouldn't be turned on by this situation, but she can't help herself. Her entire body ached to throw Killian on the floor and ride him until he couldn't walk anymore.

They were in the middle of a long, pregnant pause, his eyes searching hers with an obvious hunger. It didn't help that he reminded her of some of things they'd done together, either. She was on edge and incredibly fucking wet for him.

What was wrong with her?

His lips parted, and she realized that she didn't want to talk. Whatever she was angry about, it could wait.

So she moved in and captured his lips, pushing her tongue in to clatter along his teeth. Their hands dropped, and he came closer, forcing her to go up onto her tiptoes to maintain the kiss. If he was surprised, he certainly didn't show it.

Then his hands were roving, and everything she'd been thinking about - how he didn't trust her, how they had nothing in common - vanished from her mind, replaced with nothing more than a desperate and urgent desire. 

She seized his ass and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, trying to maintain the upper hand, but after they broke apart to breath for a moment, he used his height to take over the kiss, turning her face up and capturing her lips with his own, his tongue forcing its way inside. She adjusted, but before she could take control, one of his hands tugged at her hair - hard, but not too hard - and her head fell back, allowing him to step in and stand over her without their lips parting.

She moaned into it, the angle, the friction of his body over hers, and she reached for his neck, tracing his arms up to his shoulders, wanting to feel all of him. She scraped down his back with her nails, knowing the fabric of his nightshirt protected him little. 

His pressed himself into her, and she felt his hard-on straight through his trousers, its length running up her stomach. His other hand palmed her mound, giving her the most fleeting rub of her clit before it came up under her chin, angling her face even more. She reached for his arms, desperate to hold on to something for balance.

He finally released her lips, and she saw his eyes, black with only the thinnest line of blue. He loomed over her and held her at an increasingly awkward angle, yet he was the one completely wrecked, his temperance holding on by the barest threads.

"Emma..." he said, his voice a low growl. "If you stay, I will fuck you. Harder then you've ever been in your life."

His words lit her on fire and brought her blood to a boil. His lips were plump and wet from their ferocious kiss, and his breaths came in ragged pants. He _sounded_ in control, but he was hanging on by the tips of his fingernails, ready to plunge into the abyss of his most animal instincts. He looked incredible, gorgeous.

She brought the back of her hand across his face, hitting his cheek with slightly more force than her slap, but she didn't move out from under him. He turned back to face her immediately this time.

 _There's the pirate_ , she thought to herself.

"Do your fucking worst," she replied as she cupped his cock through his trousers.

Then he was on her, his hands everywhere, pulling her off her feet and into him. She wrapped her legs around his lower back, her ankles crossing as he devoured her, his lips covering her jaw, then her neck. She moaned as he rolled his hips into hers, letting her feel his length slide against her.

Her back crashed into one of the shelves, and he ripped her shirt open, too impatient to pull it off over her head. She reached behind and unclasped her bra, shrugging it off along with the remains of her shirt. He pinned her against the wall, his fingers pinching at her nipples before one arm came up and pushed her shoulders back, and then his mouth was on her breasts, lapping and biting at her skin, nipping her nipples before swiping his tongue across them. She arched into his touch, allowing him to hold her in an awkward u-shape as he dragged his teeth down her stomach, over her hip bones, stopping at her trousers. Her body ached, and she was positively dripping for him.

He released her, allowing her back on her feet for a moment.

"Strip!" he barked.

She wanted to obey him immediately, but her desire to push his buttons, to bring out the pirate, was even stronger. She snagged his nightshirt and yanked up as hard as she could, forcing Killian to pull it the rest of the way over his head while she loosened the strings of his trousers, dropping them to the floor, leaving only his dark boxers.

He made a noise somewhere between a growl and a moan as he spun her around sharply, bodily lifting her so she was bent over the bed. She tried to push back, but he pinned her torso down, leaving her ass high in the air. Through her pants, his other hand stroked her glutes, her thighs, slowly moving inward. He crowded her, his hot skin rubbing against hers as his erection pressed against her. She moaned into the sheets as his fingers left bruising marks along her inner thighs. He lifted her hips up until her feet left the floor. Then in one fluid movement, he hauled her trousers and panties off.

His fingers started before her feet even hit the ground, rimming her entrance. He jammed two inside her, and the friction was exquisite. She bucked back, trying to fuck his hand, but he held her in place, giving her no leverage. So she rolled her hips back to meet his hand, moaning as he added a third finger, then a forth, bringing a slight stretch and burn that abated after a few more forceful strokes.

"So fucking wet," he growled as he pulled his hand away.

Emma huffed at the abrupt loss of friction, but before she knew it, she found herself on her back with her knees up.

Killian climbed onto the bed, getting on his knees in front of her. He must've removed his boxers, because he was now bare to her, his cock hard and red against his stomach. The look he gave her was scorching, and her juices doubled with her need to feel him inside of her. 

He grabbed her ankles and brought her legs to his body, keeping himself upright and studying her face as he lined himself up and bottomed out in a single thrust. Her back involuntarily arched off the bed, allowing him to go even deeper, and he cursed as he threw his head back with his own groan.

His fingers spread out, gripping her thighs so tight she know there would be bruises tomorrow, but she didn't care. His eyes met her as he was buried inside her, impossibly deep, and his teeth were gritted. He waited. He made her wait, and she had to bite her lower lip to keep from pleading.

She took one of his hands, pulling to one side, and she made a point of bringing her legs together and crossing them at the ankles. 

Killian's eyes snapped shut as his head fell back and his hips jerked forward. He groaned at the new friction, and he gave a few shallow thrusts that had her keening for more, harder, faster, but then he stopped and withdrew completely.

_Pirate bastard!_

She glared at him, ready to push him, to be as rough as possible, but he came closer. Keeping her feet by his shoulders, he crawled over her, bending her legs over her own body. He put his hands on either side of her head, and he penetrated her slowly, burying himself to the hilt with a new angle.

Her hands went to his biceps as she worried her bottom lip, trying and failing to suppress her moan. He wasn't close enough to kiss her, but he had a clear view of her face when he started to thrust. His hips pistoned into her. He wasn't kidding about fucking her hard, and she couldn't arch her back up to thrust back. So she rolled her hips, trying desperately to match his snapping hips. Her hands went to his chin, his cheek, pushing his face up and away so he couldn't see her properly, but no matter how hard she shoved, his eyes never left her face.

As his pace became more punishing, she relaxed, letting him fuck her into the mattress. Failing to force him to turn away, she grabbed his shoulders, jockeying for leverage. He smiled at her as he extended his arms, forcing her to lose her grip on his shoulders. The change in position changed the angle so that each plunge of his cock hit that spot deep inside and his pubic bone rubbed against her clit.

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she moaned - no, screamed - his name as her fingers slipped down to his biceps. She dug into him to steady herself, abandoning all thought of control or leverage, giving herself over to him completely.

She forced herself to look at him again, expecting a smug and gloating expression. Instead, he looked positively feral, his face fierce with desire and possession.

She came without warning, throwing her head back as she futilely tried to buck against him. His pace never faltered, and before she came down from her first, she felt another orgasm building.

Emma screamed his name over and over, her body as much under his control as her desire was under his thrall. His eyes slammed shut as he chased his own release, pounding into her relentlessly. She came again, and this time he followed, bursting inside her as he shouted her name, nearly folding her in half with the force of his rutting hips. 

She opened her eyes, unaware of when she closed them to begin with. He was still inside her, hovering over her, searching her face.

He backed off and pulled out, and she put her legs down and felt her body relax, well-used and worn in all the right ways. He left the bed for a moment, standing back to get a good look at his work. She had no doubt she looked much like him. His skin was red and scored by her nails and fingers, bruises, hickeys, and scratches all visible.

"Killian," she said quietly, turning on her side to get a better look at him. "What were we fighting about?"

"Bloody hell if I know," he said, a laugh falling from his lips.

It was contagious, and laughter filled her chest, bubbling out of her uncontrollably.

He crawled into bed with her, bringing the blankets over both of them as he dragged her back into his arms.

"You think there's any chance the others didn't hear that?" Emma asked.

"The Jolly is made of enchanted wood," he replied. "But I doubt even my fine ship could drown out the sounds of our passion, love."

Her fingers touched his cheek as their foreheads came together.

"Killian, what were we fighting about?" she asked again, this time with genuine concern.

"Our fight? No, love, not a fight," he said quietly. "Perhaps neither of us said such in so many words, but new realm, new status, new villain. Two strong leaders are bound to butt heads from time to time."

"I prefer our method," she said, attempting to lace her statement with innuendo but instead adding a yawn.

"Aye Swan," he replied. "We should sleep, love. Full day ahead. A villain to defeat and all that."

"Good night, Killian."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this episode is taken from _white horses_ , also called whitecaps, which are the foamy sprays atop waves caused by strong breezes.

**Author's Note:**

> Fear not! For Her Dark Works continues with Episode #15 "[Swinging the Lamp](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5913355/chapters/13615507)!"


End file.
